Support for folding doors



July 26,1927.

J. C. KOOP SUPPORT FOR FOLDING DQOHS Filed Nov. 2, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet I/f ri I 2 192 Juy 7 J. c. KOOP SUPPORT FOR FOLDING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Nov. 2, 1923 A ORNEY M July 26, 1927.

J. C. KOOP SUPPORT FOR FOLDING moons Filed Nov. 2. 1923 a sheets-sum AORNEY Patented July 26, 1927.

JOSEPH o. Koor, or NEWARK, NEW JE S SUPPORT FOR FOLDING DOORS.

Application filed November 2, 1993. Serial No. 672,382.

This invention relates to an improved guide for folding doors which isca able of easy adjustment and which is esigned to i provide a bearingfbr a roller which travels in a grooved rail and which is held indepressions or inequalities of the rail by reason of a spring whichpresses down on the ball and its holder and holds the ball in contact atall times with the rail but which under normal travel orpressureisrelieved or any support of the door byreason of a limited upwardmovement of the ball sup.-

ort.

p The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a face view partly broken away of the partition with thedoors in extended position to close the opening. Figure 2 is a sectiontaken on line 2-2 in Figure 1 and Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are sectionstaken on line 33 in Figure 1 with the doors in various positions. Figure7 is an enlarged sectional view of the frame and the door. Figure 8 is asimilar view taken at right angles to Figure 7. Figure 9 is a sectiontaken on line 9-9 in Figure 7 and Figure 10 is a perspective View of apintle situated on the door. Figure 11 is a detail section of a rolleron the end of the pintle and Figures 12 and 13 are detail perspectiveand top view respectively, of a modified form of latch.

In the drawing, the door frame is shown equipped with three sets ofdoors and on one end of the frame is seated a strip 10 to which I preferto secure one of the doors which consists of the members 12 and 13 whichare hinged together as at 14 so that they can fold, the member 12 beinghinged as at 15 to the strip 10 since this set of doors need not be slidlongitudinally in the frame.

The other doors, however, need to he slid to one side and then foldedand I show two of such sliding doors, each consisting of a member 16 anda member 17 hinged together at 18.

At the top, the door frame is provided with a slot or groove 19 and eachof the doors members 16 has at the top and on the side toward which thedoors are slid toward the closed position, a pintle 20, the pintle thusholding the door upright and usually fitting somewhat loosely in theslot so that a roller 21 on the top of the pintle, can roll easily beingusually provided with ball bearings 22 as will be evident in Figure 11.Steadying posts 23 are arranged at the free ends of the doors and haverollers 24 similar to the rollers 21 of the pintle.

The doors are shown extended so as to close the opening in the frame inFigures 1, 2,. and 3 and when the opening is to be opened forsubstantially its full width, the doors 12 and 13 are folded as shown inFig.- ure at and then the next door which consists of the members 16'and 17 slid along the door frame until it is adjacent to the folded.door and at this point, I dispose a latch which is shown in detail inFigure 9. The latch is placed on the bottom face of upper rail or theupper member 25 of the door frame and comprises a plate 26 fastened byscrews 27 or otherwise, and a swinging latch 28 which is pivoted at 29to the plate 26 and is held by a spring 30 so that it normally restssubstantially parallel with the direction of sliding movement of thedoor in which position it is maintained by a suitable stop such as thepin 31 shown in F i ure 9.

6n the pintle 20, I place a lug 32 which projects from the pintle sothat when the door is swung, it swings the latch 28 so that it takes aposition across the slot as will be evident from Figures 5 and 6 where Ishow at a the latch in its locking position which prevents any slidingof the door while folded as the luv extends beyond the pivot 29 of thelatch. 'Ihe third door can then be similarly folded as shown in Figure6.

A modified form of latch is shown in Figures 12 and 13 in which thefixed plate 33 is substituted for the plate 26 and the projecting plate34 is substituted for the lug 32 and when swung to the dotted positionshown in Figure 13, resists any sliding movement of the door while thedoor is folded.

At the bottom of the doorway, I place a rail 35 which rail istrough-like and at the bottom of the door at each end thereof, as willbe seen from Figure 1, I provide a socket 36 which as illustrated,consists of side plates 37, top plate 38 and a bushing 39. The sleeve 40is screwed into the bushing and is held in adjusted position by alocking screw 41* accessible from the edge or face at the end of thedoor.

Slidably arranged in the sleeve 40, is a stem 41 with a shoulder 42which shoulder abuts on the sleeve 40 to support it and has a recess 43to receive a ball 44 which ball travels in the rail 35. A spring &5abuts on the top plate 38 andon the top of the stem 41 and when anyinequalities in .the rail are present, in view of settling ,or otherreasons, the rail becomes depressed at points,

the spring 45 acts to push down on the stem so that the collar and theball and the rail are always kept in contact.

The ball is placed so'that it is substan-;

tially central with the axis of the pintle 20 at thehingeda end of thedoor and in, line withthe axis of the supportin post at the other end ofthe door so thatt- 1e two mem- V berstcomprising the door. aremaintained sleeve, the shoulder havin a shoulder to abut on the lowerend of the sleeve, a spring abutting on the top plate and extending intothe sleeve and held thereby in engagement with the top of the stem, arail witha' groove therein, and a ball in the groove and seated in theshoulder of the stemf 2. A .,guide for foldin doors, said guide comprisma socket inc uding a top plate and a bus ing spaced apart, a sleeve openfrom end to end and screw threaded into the bushing, a stem extendingpart way up into the sleeve from the bottom and having a shoulder toengage the bottom of the a a roller on the bottom thereof, and a springseated in the upper part of the hollow sleeve and abutting on the top;plate and end of the stem.

In testimony that I claim thetforegoing, i

I have hereto set my hand, this 1st day of November, 1923. 1 a a v a a al' J. c. KOOP. p

